Rapscallion ll 18+

Chapter-22

5 years ago :

Jungkook sat near the window in the bus while his shoulder leaned slightly against the glass watching outside the students. The low hum of chattering students filled the air as more students climbed, laughing, talking, and searching for vacant seats.

He casted a sideways glance at the empty seat beside him. One by one, students made their way in bus while his eyes scanned rows in hope. A few paused beside him with hopeful looks but Jungkook barely shifted. His eyes would flicker to them briefly and then he'd simply shake his head.

A girl stepped up to his row, clutching her bag close with her tentative but kind smile. "Can I sit here?" she asked politely and nervously, making Jungkook sighed softly, almost inaudible beneath the noise of the bus. He looked away without giving any reaction and said without looking at her directly. "No"

Her smile faltered, slipping away like sunlight behind a passing cloud but she nodded awkwardly "Okay" Jungkook rested his chin on his hand as his reflection stared back at him. His brow furrowed, not in anger but in quiet frustration at himself. "I've lost count of how many people I've turned away. Every time someone asks, I say no.... not because I want the seat empty but because I'm saving it for her. I don't sit with anyone else. I don't let anyone sit with me. But what would I even say if someone asked why? I don't know how to explain it. I don't know how to say what I feel"

He traced a slow line on the window with his finger while lost in thoughts. "It's strange.......this is the first time I've really felt something like this. The kind that makes me nervous, warm and unsure all at once. Everything is unfamiliar.......but still beautiful" He boringly shifted his gaze away from window and his back subtly straightened, his eyes instantly drawn toward the front as his gaze locked onto a figure stepping in, laughing gently with her friends.

He didn't even realize he was smiling until his own reflection revealed the soft curve of his lips, not just his lips but his whole face. His eyes shone, the corners crinkled slightly with something warm and unguarded. But Anne's laughter faded as her eyes by accident found his. She hadn't been looking for him but somehow, she always saw him.

Her smile faltered seeing him already looking at her like he was waiting for her. She averted her gaze subtly......so subtle that anyone else might've missed it. But Jungkook didn't. He saw the way her eyes flickered past him like a breeze brushing over fire and it made his heart twist. He sank slightly in his seat, letting a small, wry smile tug at the corner of his lips. "Shit! I'm being too obvious"

The group of students looked around and walked closer to the empty seats that were little behind Jungkook's seat. They frowned looking at seat and murmured. "Wait... There's one seat short. They said there'd be enough for everyone" Jungkook didn't turn around but he heard every word. His fingers curled into fists on his lap as he stared down. "Why the hell am I nervous? I'm not some weak hearted man. If I wanted, I could walk up to her right now, hold her hand, make her sit beside me but then......I don't want her to be scared of me. Can't she see me for once, i never misbehaved with her yet she always avoided me"

A sigh escaped him before he closed his eyes for a moment just to gather himself, then slowly he rose. The murmur of the group fell into silence as his tall frame unfurled from the seat, casting a subtle shadow over them. They looked up momentarily caught off guard by his quiet intensity.

Jungkook chuckled arrogantly under his breath almost unnoticed. He glanced down at them not out of contempt but habit. it was his nature to look down at others just to make himself feel superior. "What's so special about these nerds that she's always with them. What's so special about these quiet smiles she shares with them?
Why do they get to see the side of her I never do? I've never been cruel. Never crossed a line. And yet, she keeps building walls while I......I'd tear mine down in a second if she asked"